Four Shopian police officers' blood samples collected

Forensic experts have collected blood samples of the four suspended police officers, who are accused of destroying evidence after the rape and murder of two women in Shopian town of Jammu and Kashmir, an official said Sunday.

The Jammu and Kashmir High Court July 15 ordered the DNA profiling of the four police officers, Javed Iqbal Mattoo, the superintendent of police (Shopian), Rohit Baskotra, deputy superintendent of police, Shafiq Ahmed, station house officer of the Shopian police station and his deputy, sub-inspector Abdul Karim Gazi.

"The four police officers were brought to the high court and were presented before the Registrar Judicial on Saturday.

Their blood samples were drawn in front of Registrar Judicial by experts from the forensic science department of the government medical college at Srinagar," the officer said.

The team of experts was led by Fareeda Noor who heads the department, he said.

The samples will now be sent to the central forensic science laboratory at Kolkata.

The recovery of the bodies of the two women May 30 had triggered massive protests in the valley and over a week-long shutdown, forcing the government to order a judicial probe.

The state government had initially said the two women died due to drowning.

On the recommendations of an inquiry commission, the four police officers were suspended for "destruction of evidence and dereliction of duty".